Gas supplies under threat but 'will not run out'
Britain’s gas supplies are under pressure as a result of the cold snap but will not run out, the Government has insisted.
Energy firms and environmental groups alike have expressed concerns about the gas system and what the future holds for consumers in light of the current shortage. Gas stocks at the UK’s largest storage facility are at less than ten per cent of capacity.
Prime Minister David Cameron is “confident” that the UK’s gas needs are being met, and will continue to be met, however.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The absolute key thing on this is that supplies are not running out. The gas market is how we source our supplies and that market continues to function well.”
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A Department of Energy and Climate Change spokeswoman said: “Protracted cold weather increases demand but the UK gas market is responsive and our gas needs are continuing to be met.
“Gas storage would never be the sole source of gas meeting our needs, so it is misleading to talk purely about how many days’ supply is in storage.”
She said that while half of the nation’s gas needs were supplied from the North Sea, there were also pipelines from Norway and elsewhere in Europe, shipments of liquefied natural gas and storage.
“All can and are providing significant gas to meet the UK’s needs,” the spokeswoman added.
Energy firms say that new solutions are needed, however.
Andrew Horstead, risk analyst at energy and carbon specialist Utilyx, said: “The UK is becoming increasingly reliant on imported gas and the reality is that every day that this situation is allowed to continue, we risk the potential of rising bills without having the certainty that the energy will be there for us. A more diverse generation mix is the long-term solution but until then, the reality is that we need gas to heat our homes.”
Friends of the Earth said the current situation was “a glimpse of a miserable and worrying UK energy future”.
2 Comments
by mhelenmary
Saturday, March 23 2013, 3:37PM
“I glad that we have a promise, that the gas will not run out on us.
If the lesson is to be learned that we use our energy wisely, insulate where possible, and produce our own where possible, solar panels, even heat pumps, there are quite a few options.
I think that someone would lose out if there were no profits to be made, bring the energy system back into public control.”
by roly12345
Saturday, March 23 2013, 3:15PM
“At the moment, those using as little power as possible, pay the most per unit, while those who can afford to heat an outdoor swimming pool pay considerably less.
As time rolls on we are warned our energy needs will outstrip supply and I wonder, who will get first dibs on it?
Time for a change!
Every person in the country gets a power allowance, which they pay for on use, but once they overstep that allowance they pay more per unit and again more when they cross a higher threshold. If properly implemented, it would mean those who already budget for their power needs will not see a rise in their bills, indeed they should fall, as the profits from the hoorah's would more than make up the shortfall.
This effectively turns the current toll system upside down, rewarding low consumption with cheap power, while penalising those who feel they can squander it, because they're loaded.
Unfortunately this system is a fair way of rationing out a scarce resource with little opportunity for abusing privilege, it will therefore require a Government that hasn't already lined up a significant proportion of its citizens for power poverty, to ever have a chance of seeing the light of day.”